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40 years of Porsche design: Special exhibition at the Porsche Museum

November 15, 2012

The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, is hosting a special exhibit on the Porsche Design Studio now through mid-February. Photo by Courtesy of Porsche

Visitors to Stuttgart, Germany, from now until mid-February should be sure to visit the Porsche Museum for a special exhibit on the Porsche Design Studio that has produced numerous iconic designs in the past four decades.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed the legendary 911, but also the world’s first black timepiece and a pair of eyeglasses that have been purchased by 7 million people worldwide.

In 1972, F.A. Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio in Stuttgart, before it was relocated to Zell am See in Austria in 1974. Through Feb. 17, the Porsche Museum is marking the company’s 40th anniversary with a special exhibition. Museum visitors can experience the most important, most interesting and most extraordinary Porsche Design products and learn how Porsche Design came to exist.

The focus of the anniversary exhibition is on the Porsche Design brand, which in recent years has been developed into one of the world’s leading luxury brands with its own sales network. F.A. Porsche designed a number of classic men’s accessories such as watches, eyeglasses and writing tools, sold worldwide under the Porsche Design brand. With his team, he also designed a plethora of industrial products, household appliances and consumer goods for internationally renowned clients under the Design by F.A. Porsche brand. F.A. Porsche won numerous honors and awards for his work as a designer.

Chronograph I, the world’s first black timepiece and Porsche Design’s first product, is compulsory to the exhibit. The watch created a furor in 1972 because the automatic chronograph—unthinkable at the time—was designed in matte black throughout. With this watch, F.A. Porsche anticipated a trend that still remains in today’s watch industry.

Other products from the accessories and eyeglasses range will also be on display, such as the Porsche Design P’8478 exclusive spectacles. Writing implements and pipes will also be featured in the exhibition.

Another highlight of the special exhibition is the grand piano the Porsche Design Studio created for the Bösendorfer piano factory in 2003. This grand piano symbolizes the studio’s design output, characterized by a clear, functional design language, meticulous choice of materials and top-quality workmanship. The adjustable Antropovarius lounge chair developed by the Porsche Design Studio in 1982 will also be featured, as will the Alternative Motorcycle Concept designed in 1980 as an alternative solution to the car and to conventional motorcycles.

The exhibit will also honor the life of F.A. Porsche, who created legendary cars such as the 904 Carrera GTS and Porsche 911. In time for the anniversary, Porsche Design 40Y: The Book will be published and made available in the Porsche Museum shop and other bookstores.